More than 50 men who were ordained Catholic priests of the Legionaries of Christ today in Rome.

More than 50 men who were ordained Catholic
priests of the Legionaries of Christ today in Rome.

ROME, December 23 -- Franc Cardinal Rode
CM, prefect of the Institute of Consecrated Life and Societies
of Apostolic Life, today presided over the ordination of 55
priests of the Legionaries of Christ.

The newly ordained priests
join the 650 Legionary priests already engaged around the world
in a wide variety of apostolic works to help the
Church and society. In addition to the now more than
700 Legionary priests, the order has more than 2,500 seminaries
in formation.

Together with the 12 Americans, 3 Canadians and
one Irishman, Fathers from the following countries have been ordained
from: Mexico, 22; Spain, 9; Italy, 3; Brazil, 2; Chile,
1; Venezuela, 1; Germany, 1.

The site of the ordination, The
Basilica of St. Mary Major, is the oldest and most
important Marian shrine in Rome. According to tradition, pilgrims returning
from the Holy Land to Rome brought with them fragments
of the manger in which Jesus was laid. These relics
are preserved in the basilica in a golden reliquary beneath
the Altar of the Confession. Thus, this site has special
meaning to Christians during the Christmas season.

“Be convinced that you
are priests the world needs, because the world needs God,
because without Him life has no meaning, because God is
the only antidote to sadness and despair, because He is
the only remedy to death,” Cardinal Rode told the new
Fathers in his homily. “Live joyfully! No difficulty, no weakness
can ever be cause to abandon yourselves to sadness or
despair.”

Cardinal Rode ordained 59 Legionaries at the same site in
November of 2004. At the end of that ceremony, he
presented on behalf of Pope John Paul II, the definitive
decree of approval of the statutes of the Regnum Christi
Movement. Regnum Christi is the lay movement affiliated with the
Legion. The movement has more than 65,000 members around the
world.

The ordination ceremony drew a crowd of more than 2,500,
including family members of the new Fathers, Regnum Christi members,
nearly 600 Legionary Priests and Brothers working or studying in
Rome and Italy, and several national ambassadors to the Holy
See.

“We pray for these new priests to be holy, to
live in order to love God and serve people in
a spirit of charity,” said Fr. Alvaro Corcuera LC, General
Director of the Legionaries of Christ. “We pray that they
may be priests according to the Heart of Christ, to
share his love with others, giving their lives in service
of the Holy Father and all Bishops in communion with
him.”

Several of the newly ordained Fathers had comments on
their path to the priesthood:

Fr. Timothy
Walsh LC, Cornwall, Ontario: My years as a seminarian have
gone by quickly. Throughout this period, I have come to
discover another type of light, the Light of God. I
have come to personally know Jesus Christ, to love him
and to share in his dreams and his mission.

Fr. Daniel Ray
LC, Pinchot Park, Pennsylvania: Those last three years were an
intense yet beautiful time of study and prayer, with the
added incredible grace of being present for all the events
of the passing of John Paul II. His life and
witness have deeply marked the kind of priest I strive
to be.

Fr. Anthony Sortino LC, Scottsdale, Arizona: When God called me,
I started sweating and getting nervous, but I reached the
conclusion that God only wanted the best for me and
if He was calling me to the priesthood, it would
be for my greater happiness and His greater happiness; and
that’s what happened: I am the happiest man in the
world.

In addition, Fr. Nikola Derpich LC, a native of
Watsonville, California, was ordained a priest of the Legionaries of
Christ on the feast of the Immaculate Conception December 8.
The ceremony took place at the chapel of the Legion’s
Center for Higher Studies in Rome.

Presiding was Archbishop
Nikola Eterovic, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops and Fr.
Nikola’s cousin. Fifty five priests, most of them legionaries of
Christ, concelebrated with Archbishop Eterovic and the newly ordained priest.
Fr. Derpich’s family and about 400 legionaries of Christ who
study in Rome accompanied Fr. Derpich.

In addition, Fr. Nikola
Derpich LC, a native of Watsonville, California, was ordained a
priest of the Legionaries of Christ on the feast of
the Immaculate Conception December 8. The ceremony took place
at the chapel of the Legion’s Center for Higher Studies
in Rome.